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  • Aviation professionals restate opposition to concession of airports

    Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) said Sunday that it will rally other unions in the industry to kick against plans by the reappointed Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika to concession some airports.

    The association said the airports’ concession proposal was ill – timed ; unfavourable and dangerous because of insecurity in the country.

    Its General Secretary, Comrade Abdulrasak Saidu disclosed this in an interview at the weekend.

    This is just as the association raised alarm over the proliferation of airstrips in the country, warning that safety and security could not be guaranteed in some of them.

    He also noted that if government scaled through with the proposal, several direct staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would lose their jobs, while thousands of indirect staff would also be affected, stressing that this negated the policy of the government to create more jobs for qualified Nigerians.

    Recalled that concession of four airports; Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano in the first phase of the exercise were parts of the six point agenda of Sirika in 2016, but it the industry unions severely kicked against the plan, fearing loss of jobs for its members.

    “We are saying capital no to the planned concession of our airports. This is simple, we have security challenges in the country and we can’t leave our security in the hands of individuals or private organisations that we don’t trust or know their backgrounds.

    “Just recently, somebody beat the security to gain access to the aircraft at Lagos Airport. If the government concessions the major gateways, it will be a haven for drug peddlers, money launderers and importation of unapproved ammunitions. We will be sitting on the keg of gunpowder.”

    Saidu also warned the governments against some airstrips across the country, pointing out that numerous nefarious activities were ongoing in some of them.

    READ ALSO: Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals debuts

    For instance, he queried the management of Osubi airstrip, wondering how the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) continued to provide navigational air services to the airstrip without the presence of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), especially officials of Aviation Security (AVSEC).

    “For instance, Osubi airstrip is under a private company, which I think is dangerous for this country. Apart from this, there are lots of airstrips that are not known to many of us in this country. Osubi airstrip has been a challenge to this country and we must know who runs that airstrip.

    “Why should NAMA provide navigational services to an airstrip that FAAN has no presence? External aggression can come from such airstrips,” he said.

    The union leader, however, backed the government in its plans to birth a new national carrier for Nigeria after the liquidation of the former, Nigeria Airways in 2004.

    But, for the national carrier not to run into comatose in the next few year, Saidu canvassed limited shares for Federal and State governments, insisting that its modus operandi must be laid bare before the entire stakeholders in the industry.

    He warned that the composition of a new national carrier in the mode of Nigeria Airways would failed, noting that investors – individual and core investors should take the lead in the planned carrier.

  • Soldiers intercept ‘strange’ military equipment in Adamawa

    The Nigerian Army has launched a probe into the alleged illegal importation of six mine resistance vehicles into the country through Adamawa State last week.

    The vehicles were intercepted in Fufore Local Government Area by soldiers attached to the 23 Armoured Brigade of the army, Yola, according to a Premium Times report on Saturday.

    The vehicles were said to have been brought in without due process.

    Read Also: U.S. Army showcases new electronic warfare technology

    The probe ordered by the Army Headquarters is aimed at establishing the ownership of the equipment, their source and their destination.

    The commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, S.G. Mohammed, on Saturday handed over the vehicles to the comptroller of Customs in charge of Adamawa and Taraba States, Olumoh Kamaldeen, at Konkol, Fufore Local Government Area.

    Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States have been the serially attacked over the last few years by the terror sect, Boko Haram with the security agencies and Nigerians often wondering how they procure their weapons.

  • 300 houses burnt in fresh Jukun/Tiv crisis

    About 300 houses have been set ablaze in the latest of the clashes between the Jukun and the Tiv in Taraba State.

    Jukun militants are suspected of attacking a Tiv village – Tor-Damsa, in Donga local government area- in the early hours of Saturday.

    But a Tiv activist in the state, Stephen Butu has urged calm, warning against reprisals by the Tiv.

    Butu asked the Tiv to support Governor Darius Ishaku in resolving the age-long crisis between the two ethnic groups.

    Eyewitnesses said thousands of people have been rendered homeless in the aftermath of the attack.

    Terkuma Tsetim, a resident of the affected community, claimed that the attackers numbering 500 wore military uniform.

    Hundreds of lives have been lost and property estimated at billions of naira destroyed in the recurring clashes.

    Private and public schools, health facilities and places of worships are not spared.

    Read Also: Tiv/Jukun clashes: activists, Tiv youths plead with Buhari to end crises

    The Federal University, Wukari was recently shut down when the violence spilled to the campus.

    The major cause of the crisis is the claim by the Jukun that the Tiv are “settlers,” in Taraba State, and therefore, have no ownership right to the land they occupy and should leave.

    Governor Darius Ishaku, though Jukun, does not share the view.

    “Tiv have been in Taraba for long. They are indigenes and that is why I appointed them as commissioners, special advisers and senior aides in my cabinet,” he said recently.

    Butu hailed Ishaku for his “bold and honest pronouncement,” and asked the Tiv to support the governor in his peace efforts.

    He advised them to shun the temptation of resorting to reprisals over the attack on Tor-Damsa,saying: “The Jukun/Tiv crisis is a source of worry to the governor. His wife is Tiv.

    “Ishaku’s statement, that we are indigenes in Taraba, did not come to me as a surprise. He has only stated the truth, which I know him for.

    “All the governors of Taraba State, including Darius Ishaku, were chosen by God. That is why when Taraba slipped into crisis, God brought Ishaku to steer Taraba.

    “When Ishaku came onboard in 2015, Tiv were displaced in Gashaka, Bali and Gassol, and their lands were confiscated. His first project was to suspend traditional rulers who were responsible for the crime.

    “The governor made sure all displaced Tiv people returned to their homes. That was when he coined his popular peace slogan: ‘Give me peace and I will give you development.’

    “If Ishaku doesn’t love Tiv, he wouldn’t have done that. If he hated Tiv, he wouldn’t have married a Tiv woman and made her First Lady of the State.”

  • Flood hits Yola North, 4 other Adamawa LGAs

    Devastating flood which followed a downpour Friday through Saturday has caused much havoc in the twin metropolitan Yola North and Yola South local government areas, nearby Girei LGA, as well as Ganye and Shelleng LGAs.

    The flood has thrown residents into activities to mitigate its effect and the state government in a flux, with the state-run emergency management agency opening a camp to accommodate particularly helpless displaced residents.

    Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Dr Muhammed Suleiman, who disclosed that the camp was opened in Yolde Pate, Yola South LGA where 219 people had so far been admitted, said, however, that no death had been recorded as a result of the flood.

    Speaking about the camp and indicating during a press interview Saturday afternoon how widespread the flood had been, the ADSEMA boss said, “Those that were displaced and cannot stay in their houses overnight, we have opened a camp for them. The government is feeding them and we have provided them with relief materials.

    Read Also: Flood damages roads, submerges houses in Jigawa

    “The areas affected by the flood are many. In Jimeta there are many places. So also in Yola town, and even this morning, I have received report from Shelleng where they said things were destroyed. Right now we are going with his Excellency the deputy governor to Girei local government where there was also flooding, and I have received a report of flooding from Ganye Local Government. So, it’s flooding all over.”

    The flood in the indicated LGAs has come exactly a week after two LGAs in the northern zone of the state were cut off because a bridge linking them to the rest of the state was washed off.

    The bridge in Dilchim, in Michika LGA, which had earlier been bombed by Boko Haram but around which a temporary passage was created, was further rendered unusable, making it impossible for the people of Michika and neighbouring Madagali to either leave their communities or get back if they were away before the flood.

    What has happened in the state capital since Friday evening is reminiscent of the Michika/Madagali experience, as many people who left home Friday morning were unable to return home as flood had taken over their streets by evening.

    Many Yola streets remained flooded as this report was being filed yesterday evening, with many residents, from whose houses the flood had receded, working to put their homes back in order.

    Communities worst affected by the flood in Yola North included Jambutu, Kofare, Bachure, Demsawo and Nasarawo.

    The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), which was directly affected by the flood, had to plead yesterday that electricity to those areas, which was cut off during the rainstorm, would not be restored until after some repair effort.

    The company said in a statement mailed to our correspondent by its Senior Corporate Communications Manager, Kingsley Nkemnemel, “This is to inform you that YEDC Jambutu injection substation is out of service due to heavy rainfall yesterday that caused flooding at the substation.”

  • Ikpeazu commends socio-economic impact of NYSC scheme

    THE governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has commended the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for helping in the socio-economic development of the nation’s economy.

    Speaking at the flag-off of the swearing-in ceremony of the 2019 batch B stream 2 orientation of the corps members at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, Umunna, Bende local government, Ikpeazu commended the founding fathers of NYSC for setting up the scheme which he said has helped in the socio-economic development of the nation.

    Read Also: Ikpeazu lays foundation stone for destitute home

    Ikpeazu, represented by the acting state chairman of the NYSC governing board and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Friday Ikpeoha, said that the scheme deserves commendation for its contributions to the development of education, rural health delivery, as well as infrastructural development.

    In his address, the Acting Chairman, NYSC State Governing Board, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Friday Ikpeoha, represented by a director in the ministry, Dr. Temple Nwosu, tasked the corps members to exhibit high sense of discipline and dedication during their orientation course.

    Earlier in her address, the NYSC State Coordinator, Lady Bona Adibeli Fasakin, said that at the end of two days’ registration exercise, a total of 1106 corps members, comprising 682 males and 424 females were duly registered.

  • Presidency explains Chief of Staff, SGF roles

    The Presidency on Saturday night explained and differentiated the roles of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha,

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that their roles have not changed from what they were doing under the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He stressed that Chief of Staff’s role is in line with the US model, which Nigeria is practising.

    According to him, the access between the President and the new ministers is open.

    He said “Recent media and social media reports on the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff to the President have suggested that the role has changed. This is not the case.

    Read Also: Buhari must avoid divided presidency in his second term —ACF scribe Sani

    “Today, under the Buhari II administration the role of Chief of Staff remains the same as it was under Buhari I.

    “It is worth stressing that the role and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and the method of communication and arranging scheduling between Cabinet members and the President are, in Nigeria, based on the US model, where the same system operates – and has done for decades – in precisely the same way.

    “That role is to act as the head of the presidential administration at Aso Rock; to be an adviser to the President on any and all matters; to be the line manager for all staff at Aso Rock; and to manage appointments and scheduling for the President.

    “In the traditional presidential system, it is a primary function of a Chief of Staff, which may vary according to the needs and desires of each President, to supervise key State House Staff, control access to the office and the person of the President, manage communications and information flow and this includes that which binds the relationship with the two other arms of government.

    “During the President’s first term those were the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff, and they remain the same responsibilities today. There is no change.

    “When President Buhari explained to ministers that they would be expected to communicate with him and arrange scheduling to meet with him primarily via the Chief of Staff, he did so as many of the Buhari II Cabinet ministerial appointments are new appointments and cannot therefore be expected to know how matters of liaising with the President operate.

    “This is to stress that access to the President is open to ministers. It is not true that this is denied them in the Second Term.” he said.

    Shehu added “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on the other hand is responsible for ensuring the effective coordination and monitoring of the implementation of government policies and programmes. All cabinet matters must go through him.

    “Under this dispensation, a performance evaluation of ministers and Permanent Secretary will be maintained by the SGF. Two weeks after assuming office, they are expected to sign mandate acceptance documents.’

    He said that it was time to end the unnecessary controversy in other to allow the key appointees of the President carry out their jobs.

  • Omo-Agege empowers 417 APC members, others in Delta

    THE Deputy Senate President, His Excellency, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, at the weekend, at his country home, Orogun, Ughelli North local area of Delta State, empowered over four hundred and seventeen members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, across Delta Central Senatorial District.

    Among the beneficiaries of the empowerment are the eight local government APC party chairmen from Delta Central and other party members who went home with eight Executive Toyota Corolla, 45 tricycles for party women, 175 for ward chairmen and 189 branding machines for ward women leaders.

    Omo-Agege, who was ably represented by his younger brother, Mr. Jimmy Omo-Agege, said Sen. Omo-Agege is unavoidably absent; hence he was standing for him to continue to appreciate all party members who stood and supported him during the 2019 general elections through this empowerment.

    Omo-Agege said the empowerment is a sign of appreciation to all members of the party for their steadfastness and hard work, pointing out that no member will be left behind, but that it has to be stage by stage, saying that Delta central will continue to support the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Read Also: Nigerians won’t regret Buhari’s re-election, Omo-Agege assures

    He urged beneficiaries of the empowerment to make proper use of all the items that have been offered to the beneficiaries, pointing out that there shall be other empowerment programme of this kind and that this programme is a way of bringing dividends of democracy to the peoples doorsteps, that the empowerment will go a long way to change and make impact on the people’s lives and the economy of the state.

    Also speaking, the Director General of Sen. Omo-Agege Campaign Organisation, Chief Francis Atanomeyovwi, said those who worked assiduously to ensure that Delta Central was won by President Muhammadu Buhari and Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege during the 2019 general elections have done so well, pointing out that every labourer deserves his or her wages.

  • MOSOP president kicks against Abuja court judgment on OML-11 in Ogoni

    THE president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Chief Legborsi Pyagbara, has kicked against the judgment on twenty-year renewal of operatorship of Oil Mining Lease (OML)-11 in Ogoniland by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).

    Pyagbara, on Saturday in Port Harcourt, stated that MOSOP had over the years consistently and non-violently drawn the attention of all institutions, successive governments, fellow Nigerian citizens and the international community to the persistent injustice and plight of the Ogoni people as host to SPDC.

    The Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja on Friday ordered the Minister of Petroleum Resources (President Muhammadu Buhari) to grant the renewal of OML-11 to SPDC for 20 years.

    FHC Abuja’s Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in his judgment delivered on Shell’s suit, ruled that the renewal would be for 20 years and not 30 years, as requested by the Anglo/Dutch oil giant.

    Read Also: MOSOP’s Secretary-General regains freedom

    SPDC was sent packing in 1993 from Ogoniland’s four local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme, while a renowned environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight other Ogoni martyrs were hanged on November 10, 1995 at the Port Harcourt Prisons, during the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

    MOSOP president said: “The abuses and injustice have continued unabated for over 60 years, from 1957, when oil was discovered in Ogoniland. Our peaceful and defenceless people have been killed in thousands, communities sacked, means of subsistence destroyed through reckless oil mining activities, polluting our environment, including farmlands, aquatic life and forest resources, without redress by the government or change of attitude by the oil companies, particularly SPDC.

    “The judgment (of FHC Abuja) came at a time that we have said consistently that the attempt to deal with the oil mining,  extraction or in any other way, that the three parties must be brought in or carried along in discussing issues relating to oil licence. The community, as a critical stakeholder, must be carried along with the federal government and the oil company, in discussion relating to anything about licensing of any oil company to operate in Ogoniland, particularly in discussing issues of externalities associated with oil extraction and even the question of benefits’ sharing.”

     

  • N/Delta group urges Buhari to end killings, arson in Rivers

    NIGER Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately put an end to the killings and arson in Ogoniland in Rivers State.

    NDCSC, on Saturday in Port Harcourt, through its Chairman, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, described as unacceptable, the current situation in the crude oil and gas-rich Ogoni, with four local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme.

    In the last three weeks, no fewer than forty innocent persons have been killed in Ogoni, with many valuable properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

    The Niger Delta group said: “The deafening silence, in the face of unparalleled impunity and gross violations of fundamental rights in Ogoniland, is a dangerous pointer.

    “Ogoniland and other parts of Rivers State are today insecure, because Rivers State government is under conditions of severe political, economic, and physical insecurity, underpinned by very weak governance. Rivers is a strategic state in Nigeria. Governing Rivers must not be a tea party. Awarding contracts and doling out hand-outs cannot be it.

    “A state (Rivers) of this critical stature must deliberately advance the causes of security, development and human rights of its citizens. Otherwise, its attempts will not succeed.

    Read Also: Buhari and the population explosion ogre

    “It has become most obvious to all critical watchers that the people of Rivers State cannot enjoy security without development, they cannot enjoy development without security, and they cannot enjoy either, without respect for the fundamental freedoms of its citizens and residents. Rivers State requires strong institutions, responsible, responsive, capable and effective human capacity, agile enough to pilot, mobilise and coordinate the delivery of its collective political goods for its citizens and residents.”

    NDCSC also declared that Rivers State was on its way to catastrophic failure, which it said must be halted without further delay, before the inferno would expand.

     

  • NLC confirms Ugboaja as new General Secretary

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has confirmed the appointment of Comrade Emmanuel Ugjoaja as the new General Secretary of the Congress.

    Wabba, in a statement, said the appointment of Ugboaja followed the retirement of the former General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson.

    Until his appointment which was confirmed at the National Executive Council meeting of the Congress in Kano, Ugboaja was the Head of Organising Department of the Congress.

    There has been speculations in the media that the NLC NEC meeting has appointed Ugboaja who contested the House of Representatives election in the last general election as the new General Secretary.

    The statement reads: “We bring you fraternal greetings from the Nigeria Labour Congress.

    “I write to notify you of the appointment of Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja as the new General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    “This follows the retirement of his predecessor, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, after years of meritorious service to the Congress.

    “The appointment of Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja as the new General Secretary of the NLC follows the approval of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC at its regular meeting held in Kano, Kano State on 21stAugust, 2019. The appointment is with immediate effect.

    Read Also: NLC begs FG to release Sowore, 26 others

    “Comrade (Barrister) Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja born on 15th May, 1966 is a 1987 Law graduate of the University of Calabar. In 1993, he became the first lawyer in Nigeria to work full time for a trade union when he joined the National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

    “He rose through the ranks of the union to serve as the General Secretary from 2000 to 2005.

    “Between 2006 and 2009, Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja was appointed as the Coordinator, Advocacy and Mobilization of the Alliance for Credible Elections, a foremost Nigerian Civil Society Organization with focus on electoral matters.

    “In 2005, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja was a delegate to the 2005 President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Political/Constitutional Reform Conference. He was also a delegate to the President Goodluck Jonathan Constitution Review Conference of 2014.

    “We urge you to extend your good hands of fellowship and goodwill to Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja in his new position as the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress.”